Choices
by misskittyfan
Summary: Choices have to be made.
1. Chapter 1

**Choices**

MM/ATC for "The Wreckers"

"Doc, that hurts!" She braced both hands behind her on the bed as he made round after round of bandages about her midsection.

"I know it does, honey, but you've got two cracked ribs, and several others that are either cracked or badly bruised. And honestly, I really don't like the way it looks."

"I know, but does it have to be that tight?"

"If you're set on riding back out there by yourself, then yes, I'm gonna have to wrap them pretty tightly. Don't want them moving around and possibly puncturing something." She knew he was right, but that wasn't much of a consolation at the moment. Considering the pain she'd endured on horseback riding into town, she had no doubt the return trip in the buggy would be twice as bumpy. With one final tug, he secured the bandages and checked his handiwork. "Can you breathe?"

"Sure," her voice dripped with sarcasm as he assisted her to stand, "and I promise to take it easy when I . . . when _we_ get back." She looked at him for a long moment, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Curly. That was some speech downstairs."

"It needed saying."

Doc helped her dress and then walked her downstairs to a quiet saloon. The money sat on the bar in a large brown bag. The saloon was full of men, some sitting and others standing, who'd withdrawn almost every dime they could spare. She stopped on the bottom stair and looked around the room, trying to imagine their thoughts. Were they angry at her? Did they think they'd ever see their money, or Matt or her, again? She'd put up over half of the money herself. Festus made his way over to where she stood with the bag in hand.

"Miss Kitty, you sure you're up to this?"

"I'm sure, Festus. Now, will you help me to the buggy?"

"Yes 'em."

Making her way to the batwing doors, she stopped and turned to face the saloon once again.

"Sam, drinks are on house until we get back."

"Yes ma'am."

Doc and Festus followed her out and helped her into the buggy and then watched as she slowly drove away.

"Doc, you reckon I ought to ride out behind her? Stay out of sight in case she needs something?"

"No. No, I don't. If what she said is true, Tate Crocker's got men watching from every hill. We just have to wait."


	2. Chapter 2

She'd been right in her summation of the ride back out to the cabin. Her ribs were protesting from the bindings holding them together. One particular rut in the road caused a sharp pain to shoot through her midsection so much that she had to stop the buggy to catch her breath. As much as she wanted to get to Matt, she knew she couldn't keep up this pace. She would have to slow down and watch the road a little better.

Careless of what happened to the bag of money, Kitty slowly made her way over to where Matt sat on the floor, the look of disappointment - or was it anger – at her return evident on his face. She slowly lowered herself into the chair.

" _Kitty, I told ya, you shouldn't have come back."_

" _Matt. If you think they're not grateful. If you think they don't care. There's $10 on that table .for every man, woman, and child in Dodge City."_

MKMKMK

" _It had to figure_."

Her side was aching, but not near as badly as her heart.

" _Beatin' him wasn't enough, Red_."

Sweat was beginning to bead on her face. Something wasn't right.

" _Matt offered you another way to settle up_."

She had to get Crocker back into the shack somehow. His life depended on it.

" _He's got to die_."

She saw her opportunity. Men like Tate Crocker were all the same. Their manhood depended on their gun.

" _You're afraid to face him_."

She hoped this was enough bait for him to bite.

" _Would you rather I go on and put a bullet it in his head?_ "

He didn't. She knew she had to keep trying.

" _Why not the back? You've already got him handcuffed_."

Almost there. Just a little more antagonizing would push him over the edge he was teetering on at the moment.

" _Let_ _me tell you something. He'll die a better man, than you'll ever live to be_."

If that didn't do it, nothing would.

" _Hold it_."

Hook, line, and sinker. She breathed a sigh of relief, albeit a very shallow one. She'd done it. Now, if Crocker would just give Matt a chance to make it a fair fight. As Crocker headed back toward the shack, she exited the buggy with a great deal of difficulty.

She heard one shot. Her heart raced. No one came out of the cabin. A few moments later, another shot. Still no one. And another shot. Her mind raced. Then the door opened. Two more shots. Indio stood with his hands out from his sides, indicating that he wasn't about to be the fifth victim since this large man had arrived in their camp. Relief flooded her system as pain invaded her chest. She grabbed her side as she rushed into Matt's arms, trying to keep from passing out on the dusty ground. He did his best to comfort her.

"Kitty, are you okay? You're burning up."

"I'm okay. Let's just go home. I promised Doc we'd be home for supper."

"I gotta get these men buried. Come on, let's get you inside so you can rest until we leave." He led her back into the cabin, taking to her left side trying to shield her from what lay inside it. Even so, she glanced over to see Tate Crocker's body, his cigar on the floor, still lit. Matt was gentle with her as he helped her sit, and then lie down on the bed he'd occupied only hours before.

"Are you sure you're okay?" 

"I'm fine, Matt. Doc wrapped me pretty good. Now go on."

"Okay, honey. I'll be as fast as I can." Before he left the cabin, he made sure she had water to drink. "Now I want to find this canteen empty when I get back, okay?"

"I'll try."

With Matt watching their every move, Eli and Indio had the graves dug and filled in a couple of hours. Approaching the cabin, he could hear her moaning. Rushing to her side, he found her face covered in sweat and her breaths coming in gasps.


	3. Chapter 3

"Kitty?"

"Matt." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I don't feel . . . I can't . . . breathe."

"Okay. Do you want to try and sit up? Think it might help?"

"I tried . . . couldn't . . . hurt."

"All right, don't strain. Let me do it." She simply nodded.

He placed his large arm under her neck and gently lifted. She moaned in pain, but found that the pressure in her chest subsided once she was sitting, but the pain was still present.

"How's that?" he asked with a worried look on his face as he kneeled in front of her.

"Just hard to breathe." She tried to lean to the right. "I hit a bad rut on the way out. Took my breath away. Keeps getting harder to breathe." Her breaths were short and shallow.

"Okay, you just sit here and I'll be back in a few minutes." She only nodded. She propped herself on the pillow and tried to relieve some of the pressure still present in her left side.

True to his word, he was back in no time, having pulled the buggy next to the shack. He helped her stand, and then led her once again back through the cabin and outside. While he and Kitty rode in the buggy, the two remaining gang members rode, hand cuffed, on horses tied behind it. He drove slowly and kept his eye on her, and them. She once again leaned to her right and took as much pressure off of her left side as she could. With her eyes closed, and her breathing slowed as much as possible, she tried to let her mind wander, concentrating on formulating a plan for Matt to make this up to her. A slight smile crept across her lips. By the time they pulled up in front of the Long Branch, half the town was there to greet them. Doc noticed the way Kitty was sitting and knew immediately something was very wrong.

"Matt?" He grabbed Kitty's wrist to assess her pulse.

"She's hurtin' Doc." Matt climbed out of the buggy and took his place beside Doc. "She can't breathe. Said she hit a bad bump. Really hurt her."

"All right, let me check her over before we move her."

Matt glanced over to Festus and Newly, and then nodded to the two prisoners behind the buggy. They quickly untied the horses and led them, along with their riders, toward the jail. Next, he grabbed the bag of money. Finding the bartender's eyes, he held it up as Sam made his way over. "Sam, make sure everyone gets their money back."

"Yes sir."

Turning his attention back to Kitty, he didn't like the look he saw on Doc's face.

"Doc?"

"Well, I think she might have punctured a lung. Not sure, but from what I can hear, that's what it sounds like. Let's get her upstairs." Matt reached for her. "Be very careful, Matt, very careful."

She moaned slightly as he extricated her from the buggy and maneuvered up the stairs. He tried to lay her on the table, but Doc was quick to stop him. "Matt, wait. I need to fix that so she's not lying prone." He stacked several quilts and pillows on the table. "Okay, now sit her down. And make sure she keeps breathing." Doc began thumbing through a rather large book. "And, while you're there, go ahead and get her shirt and skirt off of her."

"What?"

"Get her undressed, Matt. We've got to hurry. Her chest is filling with air, putting pressure on her lung. That's why she can't breathe."

Matt gently unbuttoned the shirtwaist and released it from her skirt to finish unbuttoning it. Seeing the bandages around her midsection made his stomach turn. Very gently, he removed her right arm, drawing only a slight wince from her. He slowly tugged the shirt behind her and removed her left arm. Next, he reached between the base of the quilts and her back to find the skirt's closure. Thankful she'd chosen one that only had a few hooks and buttons, he had it loosened and turned down by the time Doc returned.

"Okay, Matt, I need you on the other side. Let's get these bandages off." He clipped the sides of the knot he'd tied that morning, and then began the task of unwrapping her ribs, not risking removing the bindings too quickly. When they'd removed the tight bandages, Matt couldn't hide his hurt.

"Oh, Kitty," the hurt and anguish obvious in his voice.

For the first time since they'd brought her up to Doc's office, she spoke. "It's okay, Matt. It's not so bad since those are gone." She reached for his hand. When she felt him squeeze, she continued. "So what are you gonna do, Doc?"

"Well, honey, from what I can tell and from what Matt's told me, you may have punctured that lung. You were a little too anxious to get back out there, and whatever you hit must have been bad." He retrieved a small bottle and a few pieces of gauze from his medicine cabinet.

"I had to stop. It hurt so much."

Doc placed the supplied on a tray and brought them over to Kitty's side.

"Let me try to explain this to you, honey. You know that your lungs sit in a large cavity. Well, your lung is leaking the air that you're breathing in. It's filling up the pleura, which is the space between the lung and cavity wall. That's what's causing the pressure and why it's so hard to breathe." He began to rub alcohol on her side in ever increasing circles. "I'm going to insert a small tube between your ribs and into the chest cavity. That should relieve some of that pressure." He checked her pulse again to find that it was beating a little too fast for his liking. "When we get that excess air out of there, your lung can inflate itself again. Does that make sense?"

"If you say so."

"I'm just gonna make a small incision for this tube." He showed her the small hollow pipe. "You just rest for a few minutes while I get my things together."

Matt followed him over to the medicine cabinet. "Doc, aren't you going to put her to sleep first?"

"Well, Matt. I've only had to do this a couple of times since the war. It works extremely well, but . . ."

"But what?"

"I don't want to put her to sleep since she's having so much trouble breathing. But, I've never done it with the patient awake. There is a man who is experimenting with a topical anesthetic, calls it cocaine. He used it on a patient with a bad tooth; made the extraction painless. I ordered a bottle of it, but I haven't tried it yet."

"And you want to try this stuff on her? Doc . . . I don't like this. I don't like it at all."


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't think I can use ether on her. They haven't tried this cocaine on anything but oral and ophthalmic surgeries. I don't wanna use her as an experiment, but from what I've read, it should work."

"Should? Doc . . . are you sure about this?"

"You gotta try, Doc." Both men turned to see Kitty looking at them. "You won't know until you do. Let's get started."

Matt retook his place at her side. "Kitty . . ."

"Matt," she grimaced in pain, "we're wasting time." She took his hand in her own and tried to offer him a slight smile. "Doc, I'm ready." Matt squeezed her hand a little tighter, trying to transfer some of his strength to her.

"Okay, Kitty. I'm gonna rub some of this on your side." He took a small dab of cream and gently rubbed the area he'd cleaned a few minutes prior. "It'll be numb in a few minutes."

"So, how much did my favorite civil servant cost me in drinks, Doc?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Not a single nickel. No one would take a free drink, Kitty. They all insisted on paying while they waited, even Festus. And, you'll never believe this, he even bought me one."

She smiled, even as tears began to trickle from the corners of her eyes. Matt used his thumb to wipe them away. Finding his eyes, she tried to quell the storm she could see building within him as only she could.

"Okay, Kitty, tell me if you feel anything." Her gazed shifted to where Doc was slowly rubbing her left side and applied slight pressure around the area where he planned to incise.

"A little pressure, but it doesn't hurt like it did."

"That's good. Now, let me get this tube sterilized, and we can start." He dunked the long tube in a bowl of alcohol. "Now, we're gonna place this arm above your head so I can insert the tube." He took her wrist and slowly began to lift her arm. She winced. "Does that hurt?"

"A little, but not too bad."

Placing her arm above her head, Doc instructed Matt to hold it there.

"Ready?"

She nodded, and then turned back to Matt, almost afraid of what she might find this time.

"Okay, Kitty, here we go." Very slowly, he drew the knife down her side, wiping away the small crease of blood that trickled out. Gripping one end of the tube, he gently, but firmly, inserted it into the small hole. A little farther. Just a bit more. She gasped. The water started to bubble.

"There." He turned his attention to her face. "Kitty, how ya doing, honey?"

"Okay, I guess." She tried to hide the discomfort, but her white-knuckled grip on Matt's hand gave her away.

"It won't hurt long. We just need to get that air out of there."

The water continued to bubble. Soon, a small amount of blood was draining down the tube as well.

"Doc?" Matt nodded to the basin.

"That's good Matt. That means it is working."

They stood there, watching, for several minutes; watching as the bubbles decreased, and the blood dissipated.

"Kitty, how's that feel?"

"Kind of funny, but I can breathe again." She loosened her grip. "How long do I have to lay here like this?"

"Well, let's give it a little while longer. We need to make sure we've got all of the air out, and give that hole time to close itself up."

"It'll do that on its own?" Matt questioned.

"Sure will. Now, Kitty, if you feel anything in your side, any pain at all, you let me know."

"Okay."

"Right now, I just want you to lie there and concentrate on your breathing. Try to take deeper breaths every little bit, and you tell me if it hurts."

She nodded and closed her eyes.

The only sound in the room was the ticking clock on the wall. It was lulling her to sleep, where she was going willingly.


	5. Chapter 5

"Kitty?"

"Doc, just five more minutes, please?"

"It's been thirty since I put the tube in, and I need to get it out before this stuff wears off."

Wearily, she opened her eyes.

"What I need you to do is take a deep breath and hold it. I'm going to take the tube out quickly, and you might feel some discomfort, but it should be brief. Then, I'll stitch you up."

"Okay."

Dreading this part of the procedure, Doc gripped the small tube. "Ready? Take a deep breath and hold it. One, two, three!" He pulled the tube quickly and covered the hole with gauze. He glanced up to see her eyes closed tightly. "Kitty?"

"You weren't kidding, were you?" she said through clenched teeth.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I just need to put in a couple of stitches and we'll be done."

Five minutes later, he clipped the thread and cleaned around the wound.

"Kitty?"

"I'm okay."

"I know that hurt." Doc swiped his mustache. He brought her arm back down to rest on her midsection and grabbed his stethoscope. "Okay, try to breathe as normal as you can." She did her best to do as he asked as he moved the instrument around her chest and listened intently. "That sounds good, Kitty, much better than before."

"So, can I go home now?"

"Oh no." He removed the stethoscope and laid it on the bed and checked her pulse "You are going to lie here a little while longer, and I don't want you moving around too much. I'm going to get the two of you something to eat, and then we'll move you to the back room after that. You're going to be my guest for the next two or three days."

"Two or three days? Why?" She lifted her head in a feeble attempt to protest. "Oww!"

"That's why!" Matt snapped, and they both turned their attention to him.

"Because, honey, I need to watch you. Remember, this is the first time I've used that . . . that cocaine." As much as Doc wanted to scold her, after seeing Matt fly off the handle, he thought better of it. "I need to watch you while it wears off, and I need you to lie fairly still for at least 48 hours. Don't want to chance anything happening to that lung." He paused, but needed to stress to her the importance of taking it easy for the next couple of days. "And Kitty, in case you've forgotten, this is the same side as . . ."

"Baloe . . ." Matt chimed in, his voice lower and dripping with contempt, remembering the last time Kitty had been in Doc's in this kind of situation.

"Maybe you're right Doc. I think I might like a few days of peace and quiet."

"Huh?" Both men just looked at her.

"No rowdy cowboys. No early morning drummers. Doc, you've got yourself a checker opponent, and I do hope you've been practicing since the last time we played." She tried to lighten the mood.

"Well, it's about time one of my patients listened to my advice. Do you think you can keep the marshal entertained while I go get you two some dinner?"

"I think I can handle that."

As soon as he was sure Doc was down the stairs, Matt pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.

"You took an awful big chance, what with your ribs and all." 

"Matt . . ." She wasn't in any condition to argue with him at the moment; to make him understand.

"You were fevered, and kept moaning in pain. And, you just looked so bad."

"What?" Did he just tell she looked bad? "Flattery will get you nowhere, Cowboy."

Doc returned a little while later with a large tray of food for Matt and a small bowl of broth for Kitty. He put the tray on the side table, and then checked her side.

"Kitty, can you feel this?" He gently touched the area around the bandage.

"Ouch!"

"That's good. The cocaine is wearing off." He went over to the medicine cabinet and retrieved a pack of powders and placed it on the tray. "You two eat, and I'll be back directly. When I get back, I want to see an empty bowl young lady. Then, we'll see about moving you to the back room. If the pain gets too bad, I want you to take those powders."

Matt laid a napkin over the sheet covering and picked up a spoon to begin feeding her.

"Matt, I can feed myself."

"But I'm gonna do it this time. Might let you try tomorrow. Now open up."

She shook her head slightly, and then spoke. "I'll make you a deal. You feed me a spoonful, and then you eat a forkful." 

"No deal. I'll eat later. Now open up."

She shook her head in disapproval.

Not in the mood to argue, he relented. "Okay, you win." He cut off a piece of steak, chunked it into his mouth and began to chew. "Your turn." She obediently opened her mouth to the approaching spoon.

Twenty minutes later, the bowl was empty, as was the plate.

"Well, now what are we going to do?"

" _You_ are going to sleep, and _I_ am going to watch." His curtness wasn't lost on her. He was still upset, but was doing his best to hide it.

She smiled, and let the sleep claim her. He rested his chin in his other hand, content to sit and watch the sheet rise and fall. Before he knew it, he was asleep as well.


	6. Chapter 6

When Doc returned, he found Matt with his head lying on the table beside Kitty, and her hand resting in his curls. As Doc made his way over to check on her, she put her finger on her lips. He went into the back room to get it ready for her. She continued to play with Matt's curls until he stirred. She started to move, trying to get a little more comfortable, which immediately brought a shooting pain through her side. A moaned escaped despite her best efforts to stop it.

His head snapped up. "Kitty? You okay? What happened?"

"Matt, I just wanted to lie back a little." Why was he being this way? "It's tough to sleep sitting up."

"Well, why didn't you wake me?"

"Because I can do it myself."

"Kitty, you just had a tube stuck in your chest. Let me help you." It came out a little louder than he had intended.

"I'm not an invalid!"

"I know that!"

This brought Doc from the back room, quickly silencing their argument.

"Well, Kitty, are you ready to get a little more comfortable?"

"As ready as I'm gonna be."

"Okay, let's see about getting you up."

As she tried to sit up, they all quickly realized that it was a bad idea. Without a word, Matt pulled the sheet down past her feet and very gently placed one arm under her knees and the other behind her neck. And then he waited; waited for her permission to continue. When she gave him a slight nod, he very slowly picked her up and proceeded into the back room. She laid her head on his shoulder so he wouldn't see the pain the move caused.

"Matt, could you go over and get a few things from my room?"

"Sure. Nightgown? Hair brush? What else?"

"That'll do for now."

"Okay."

With Matt gone, Doc once again checked her over. Satisfied with his findings he sat down in the chair and waited.

"He's mad at me, Doc."

"Mad? At you? Why would you think that?"

"You heard him. He's mad because I went back out there with everyone's money."

"No, honey, he's just worried about you. You didn't see the look on his face when he pulled up in the buggy."

"Doc, he yelled at me. You heard him." Her voice trembled at this admission. "He's never yelled at me before."

"Kitty, you know Matt better than anyone. That boy loves you more than life itself. Whatever happened out there . . ." He let the thought drift. "It scared him . . . badly."

"When the stage crashed, I knew they were going to come after it, at least the cash box. I pinned Matt's badge on Monk Wiley, and they all thought Matt was him." She traced the quilt's patterns. "Wiley told Crocker the truth before he died. That's when the price went from $10,000 to $15,000. When I got back out there, they had Matt on the floor and handcuffed to the bed. They were going to burn the shack down, with him in it, and take me with them. Matt looked so . . . so disappointed when I walked in with the money. It was almost like . . . like he was sad to see me . . . like I was an added burden."

"Oh, honey, don't you see? When they sent you back to Dodge, Matt knew you were safe. He probably didn't think you'd go back out there."

She wiped the tears that were beginning to fall. "But if I hadn't gone back out there . . ."

"Kitty, I don't want you thinking about that and I don't want you getting worked up over all of this right now. Kind of sounds to me like you two think a lot alike. He's mad because you went back out there, and you're upset about what would have happened if you _hadn't_ gone back out there. Is that about right?"

"Mmmhmmm."

"You two beat all I've ever seen. But, for now, when Matt gets back, we're gonna get you changed, and then you are going to sleep for the next ten or twelve hours."

"But I have to explain to him . . ."

"Talking will wait until tomorrow. Besides, a good night's sleep might do you both some good." He mixed her a glass of water and added the powders he'd given her earlier. "Don't go getting that cart ahead of your horse. Right now, I need you to rest."

When Matt returned, Kitty was already asleep.

"Matt, can you get her changed, or do you want my help?"

"Huh?"

"Can you get her changed into her nightgown, or do you want me to help you?"

"Umm, I can do it." He paused and looked at her sleeping form; a pang of guilt washed over him. Taking his time, he slowly removed her clothing. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get one of her nightgown over her head, he'd brought one of his shirts to put on her.

"How long do you think she'll sleep, Doc?"

"Well, she should sleep through the night."

"Good."

"Did Sam get done giving everyone's money back?"

"Yeah, he did." He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. "And here's yours."

Taking the money, Doc nonchalantly tucked it into his pants pocket.

"Matt . . ."

"I heard you gave a pretty powerful speech over there." He nodded toward the Long Branch.

"I just told 'em what they needed to hear."

"You should have kept her here."

"Son, I couldn't have done that and you know it."

"You should have gotten some help."

"Matt, when are you gonna realize what you mean to that girl in there? And what she means to you? The thought of _not_ going back out there never entered her mind. She loves you, and whether you want to believe it or not, you love her too. Now get out of here, and go get yourself some rest."

"I'm gonna sit with her a little longer."

"Matt, she's gonna sleep for a good long time. And she's gonna be okay."

"Well, I might run over to the jail, but I'll be back in a little while anyway."

True to his word, Matt was back in less than an hour.

"How's she doing, Doc?"

"She's sleeping like a baby, and I expect you to do the same thing." He pointed to the other side of bed. "Do you think you can lie there and not disturb her?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you won't be much good if you sit in this chair all night. You might as well crawl in there."

"Are you sure?"

"I think it'll do you both some good. If anything changes, just come and get me." He started for the door.

"Doc? Thanks."

Ten minutes later, he was under the covers and propped up on one elbow, watching her sleep. His mind drifted back to the moment when the shack door opened, and Kitty came in with that damn bag of money. His ransom. He tried to admonish her then, knowing what kind of danger she'd put herself in, but she defended the town and their choice to try and help save him. He still didn't know why Crocker had come back to the shack, but he had a good idea that the lady lying next to him had used her charms on him somehow. Matt tucked his arm under his head and took her hand in his, and soon was asleep as well.


	7. Chapter 7

The sun was just beginning to peek through the curtains. Matt had been awake for some time, and was content to watch Kitty sleep when Doc entered. The smell of coffee followed him, and he motioned for Matt to come into the other room.

"Is she really gonna be okay, Doc?"

"Matt, she's stronger than you give her credit for. She'll be fine, but I do want to keep her for a couple of days."

They sat for a few minutes, each man in his own thoughts.

"You and Kitty need to talk. Now, I don't want her upset, but you two need to get this out in the open, and then things can get back to as close to normal as they can around this town. That's all I'm gonna say."

Matt didn't reply, but simply nodded in understanding.

"Can a poor girl get a cup a coffee around here?"

Matt's face broke into a grin, and he replied. "Doc, I don't think coffee is very good for your lungs is it?"

Doc swiped his mustache as he got up and poured her a cup. He handed it to Matt. "I'm going over to DelMonico's. I'll bring you two back some breakfast." He didn't need to be privy to Matt and Kitty's conversation. He'd heard enough last night.

Matt held the two cups of coffee as he made his way to the back room. She tried to sit up, but instantly regretted it.

"Hold on," he said as he set the cups on the side table. "Let me help you."

"I hate this. I hate being helpless."

"Kitty, you're not helpless." He handed her a cup.

"Well, I'm not a good patient either."

"Well, that makes two of us. 's probably why we get along s'good."

She sipped the hot liquid, and was surprised to find that Doc must have added a little something extra to her cup. Smiling, she realized Matt was none the wiser. She might even let him win a game or two of checkers later as repayment.

"So, how'd you sleep last night, Matt?"

"Good, how about you?"

"Well, I woke up a couple of times."

"You did?"

"Mmmhmm. And it was nice to have you next to me."

"Well, it was Doc's idea."

"And we know Doc knows best, don't we?"

"He has his moments."

"Was this shirt his idea too?"

"Well, I didn't want to risk handling you too much to get your nightgown on, and I figured you wouldn't mind." Pausing, he remembered Doc's words and decided to heed them. "Kitty, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

"Why did you go back out there yesterday?"

"What did you want me to do? Leave you out there to die? Really, Matt?"

"Kitty, they could have taken you . . . who knows where . . ."

"And they would have burned that shack to the ground with you in it! Matt, I couldn't leave you out there to . . ." She couldn't say it. "I love you."

"But look what it's cost you."

"And what would it have cost me if I hadn't gone back out there? Did you ever think about that?" Her body protested as she tried to face him more, but she needed to make him understand. "Matt, just listen to me for a minute." She was determined not to let her fiery temper get in the way this time. "You mean everything to me."

"I just don't like you taking chances like that."

"But it's okay for you to take chances?"

"Kitty, that's my job."

"Well, it might be _your_ job, but you're _my_ life, and I'll be damned if I sit by the wayside and let you die." Her side was starting to hurt again, but she needed to finish. "Don't you see? I don't have a life without you. Do you understand that?" She rubbed her hand over the incision.

"Kitty, are you okay?"

"Would you listen to yourself? I'm fine. It's sore, that's all."

"Are you sure?"

Damn, he was doing it again.

"I'm not a child, and I don't need a nursemaid." After several moments of awkward silence, she spoke again. "Matt, let's not do this right now." She waited. "Please?"

He ducked his head as he let out a deep breath. After several moments of silence, she continued.

"I saw that look of disappointment on your face yesterday at the cabin. You looked almost sad to see me. Did you really think I wouldn't go back out there with your ransom?"

"Well, I . . . I didn't know how _you_ could've gotten that much money. Then I talked to Festus, and he told me what happened in the Long Branch."

"Don't you see? You're mad because of what _could_ have happened to me. Did you ever think about how I'd feel if something happened to _you_ . . . because I didn't try?"

"But Kitty . . ."

"You live your life out of a sense of responsibility to that badge. But yesterday, I wasn't sure if I'd have much of a life, one worth living, left if you weren't in it. Can't you understand that?" The tears that she had kept at bay finally fell down her cheeks. "I love you, Matt."

He took her hand in his and held it up to his mouth to kiss the back of it. "I love you too, Kitty. So much that it scares me sometimes."

"Oh, Matt."

"I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Well, I know that feeling too. All too well."

"Humph, looks like the shoe is on the other foot. I guess you're right."

"I'm always right when it comes to you, Cowboy."

"You think I'd have learned by now. I never win our arguments."

"But, if we don't argue, we don't get to make up." An evil grin and an arched eyebrow were a sight for his sore eyes.

"So, how long are you gonna be stuck up here?"

"Doc says forty-eight hours, and I'm not staying one hour longer. Promise me."

"Okay, I'll guess I have to take you into my personal custody and convince Doc that you will be under my tender loving care until you're well."

"Well, if you promise to take care of me, he might let me leave early."

"Right now, you need to rest. Doc will be back in a little while with some breakfast."

"Okay."

"Now close your eyes and rest until he gets back."

"Will you join me?"

"Are you sure?"

"I rest better when you're beside me."

He helped her get comfortable, and then reclaimed his place by her side on the bed. As she settled into his embrace, he kissed her on the top of the head and whispered a plea.

"Forgiven?"

"And forgotten."

As the two lovers drifted into blissful slumber, all was right in their world once more.


End file.
